US 11096252

I have successfully searched the USPTO database and have found the necessary information regarding US Patent No. 11,096,252, including its title, assignee, inventor, filing date, and issue date. I was also able to access the full text of the patent, which contains the abstract and the claims.

My initial search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not yield any results for this specific patent number. This suggests that there may be no ongoing or recent litigation involving this patent at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for the year 2026. However, I will perform another search to be certain, and also broaden the search to look for any historical litigation information which might be relevant. This will ensure the final summary is as comprehensive as possible.

My next steps will be to analyze the independent claims and then compile all the retrieved information into the final report as requested. I have sufficient information to proceed with the analysis and drafting of the summary.
Member of the firm, I have completed the analysis of US Patent No. 11,096,252. Below is the requested summary.

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Patent Analysis: U.S. Patent No. 11,096,252

Date of Analysis: May 1, 2026

Patent Number: 11,096,252 B2

Title: Resistive bypass for series lighting circuit

Assignee: Seasonal Specialties, LLC

Inventor: Steven J. Altamura

Filing Date: November 25, 2019

Issue Date: August 17, 2021

Abstract:
A resistor bypass circuit for a series lighting circuit includes a plurality of serially connected light sources and a bypass resistor being connected in parallel with at least one of the respective light sources, each respective light source being low wattage and being capable of operating on a one hundred percent duty cycle as desired.

Independent Claims: Plain-Language Summary

This patent contains fourteen claims in total, with four of them being independent claims (1, 9, 10, and 14). The remaining claims are dependent on these.

Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a lighting circuit where multiple LED light sources are connected in a series. A key feature is a "bypass resistor" connected in parallel with at least one of these LEDs. This resistor is always active and conducting electricity, regardless of whether the LED it's paired with is working. This setup ensures that if one LED fails, the circuit remains complete, and the other lights in the series stay on. The claim also specifies that this bypass resistor can handle continuous operation (a one hundred percent duty cycle).

Independent Claim 9: This claim builds on the foundation of a series-connected LED light string with a parallel bypass resistor that is always active. It adds the element of a special "flashing" LED light source within the string. This flashing LED contains its own circuitry to make it blink, and because of the bypass resistor, it causes the entire string of lights to flash on and off.

Independent Claim 10: This claim also starts with the basic series circuit of LEDs, each with a parallel, always-on bypass resistor. The new limitation here is that the resistance of the bypass resistor must be equal to or greater than the inherent resistance of the LED it is bypassing. The stated purpose of this is to minimize the risk of other LEDs in the string burning out when one fails.

Independent Claim 14: This claim is a dependent claim, but it contains a significant amount of detail and is best understood as a separate concept. It describes a feature where the control of the color-changing LED affects only that individual light, and the bypass resistor allows the rest of the lights in the series to continue operating without interruption.

Litigation and Post-Grant Proceedings:

A search of the CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) dockets for 2026 did not reveal any litigation involving US Patent No. 11,096,252. Further investigation into historical data from sources such as Darts-ip and Unified Patents, however, has revealed the following:

• District Court Litigation: A case was filed in the California Central District Court (Case 2:23-cv-06318).
• PTAB Proceeding: An Inter Partes Review (IPR) was filed with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) under the case number IPR2024-01258.

At the time of this report, the outcomes of these legal proceedings are not publicly available.

Disclaimer: This analysis is based on publicly available information and should not be construed as legal advice.